ROMAN KRIHELI

A prominent figure in the SoHo art scene of 1980s New York, Roman Kriheli produces oil-on-canvas and mixed-media works. Creating predominantly large-scale still lifes and portraits, Kriheli draws influence from Renaissance masters to create his paintings of nude figures, urns, and fruit, all in a muted palette of pale gray, pink, and blue tones.

He created a stir with his painting The Most Beautiful Woman in the World (2013), the title of which was revealed months before the image which depicts an unknown contemporary subject, seated in an unassuming position and gazing calmly out at viewers.